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Natural SEO: the SEO guide in 2021


The guide to SEO in 2021

Find the best SEO best practices to get to the top of Google, Bing, Écosia, etc. search results! “SEO” stands for “search engine optimization” (search engine optimization or also known as natural referencing). It is the practice of optimizing your web pages to rank higher in search engine results pages (SERPs).

Search engine optimization is also a reliable and cost-effective marketing strategy that allows you to attract traffic to a website and increase conversion rates at a lower cost.



Chalkboard with one having written "audience" on a whiteboard

But then, how does natural referencing work?


In order to display and organize relevant information to answer user queries, Google and other search engines never stop collecting information from different websites that are online. To do this, these search engines go through several processes:

  • Exploration process (Crawling) . The first thing that search engines do is they rely on a team of web crawlers, also called web crawlers, in order to find the most recent content on the web. Crawlers help discover and collect information needed to index a page.

  • Indexing : Once web crawlers find information on a site, such as keywords and fresh content, they add the web page to the search index. So, when users search for relevant information, the search engine will search for the website that best matches this query.

  • To finish with the ranking : As you know, once a person has typed their query, several results (website) will appear. The web pages in the search index will then be displayed in the search results, from the most relevant content to the least relevant content.


Doing SEO allows you (natural referencing) to improve your presence on the web by making your site more attractive to indexing robots and thus have a better possible ranking. In other words, it is a question of going through the series of stages that your website will have to go through in moving from crawling to ranking.

For example, well-structured internal links on your pages make it easier for web crawlers to move from one page to another. This allows them to crawl your website in depth and index more of your content.

Additionally, search engine algorithms also consider extensive ranking factors, such as relevant keywords, backlink quality, and content freshness. So, optimizing your website content with these factors in mind can significantly improve your search results.


Why is SEO/natural referencing important?


Organic search has become a crucial part of online marketing. Organic traffic offers a high chance of turning visitors into buyers or members of your business. However, attracting organic traffic to your site is not easy, and this is where SEO comes in. With search engine optimization, you can optimize different parts of your site and pages in order to meet the different criteria of search algorithms which are constantly evolving.



Image displaying the Google Analytics interface

Search engine optimization (SEO) is a set of strategies aimed at improving the visibility of a website on search engines. The higher your rank, the more traffic your site will receive.


Particularly for e-commerce businesses, optimizing your site's SEO can give your brand greater visibility and potentially increase your sales and revenue.

Additionally, Google's algorithm takes many SEO factors into account when ranking websites in its results.

If your website manages to rank at the top of search engine results pages, it can help build trust and credibility for your brand or business.


Things to take into consideration for good SEO


These factors are constantly evolving along with Google's search algorithms. They help provide the most relevant content for a better experience for your users. From more technical elements like the responsiveness of your site to the security of websites, here are the most important ranking factors you need to know as they greatly impact your SEO.

  • A mobile friendly site: A responsive design automatically adjusts website elements to adapt to different screen sizes, providing an optimal experience for visitors on all devices. Pages from responsive and mobile-friendly sites will appear higher in search results. In addition to having better SEO you will have a better mobile conversion rate.


  • Page loading speed: It defines the time it takes for a web page to load. A page that loads quickly can help your site rank higher in search results.


  • Links to your website (backlinks): These are links to your website placed on other sites, serving as an indicator of the authority of your site. When a website includes your link in its content, it marks your site as a relevant source. Pages with high-quality backlinks from credible sites can rank higher in search engine results pages.


  • Your users' experience: Google measures user experience via several criteria, including bounce rate (percentage of people who leave your site without having navigated to another page). When visitors arrive at a site and leave shortly after, Google considers the site irrelevant. Therefore, if visitors stay a while, it means the site provides valuable information and are more likely to appear first.


  • Site security. Involves all actions aimed at protecting a website and its visitors from cyberattacks. So, Google gives priority to websites secured by HTTPS. A site that does not have one is considered insecure and risks driving visitors away. Since security is a top priority for every internet user, it is essential to add an SSL certificate to your site.


What are the different types of SEO?


On-page SEO

On-page SEO refers to the process of optimizing individual pages of a site to improve its ranking in organic search results. This type of SEO focuses on both page content and HTML source code, including title tags, header tags, and meta description, to appeal to searchers and crawlers search engines.

Off-page SEO

Off-page SEO refers to any activities carried out outside of a website to improve the site's ranking in search engine results pages. It gives the search engine an indication of how the public perceives a site, company or product. Therefore, a well-constructed off-page SEO strategy can help your website increase its page authority score and rank higher in search results.


Technical SEO

Technical SEO is the process of optimizing the technical aspects of your website to ensure that it meets the criteria of a search engine's algorithm. This includes speed optimization, mobile compatibility, and website architecture.


Local SEO

Local SEO is an activity that involves improving the visibility of local businesses in search results. It gives more visibility and allows companies to promote their brands, products and services to local communities.

Our best tips for improving your SEO



search results for the word analytics

It is important to implement best practices, as SEO factors influence your website's search engine rankings. Applying wrong and outdated strategies will not only hurt your rankings, but can also impact your traffic and conversion rate.

We have listed below some of the best practices to implement to improve the SEO of your website and thus allow you to remain competitive with your competitors.

  • Targeting long-tail keywords

  • Keywords in title tags

  • Get backlinks


Targeting long-tail keywords

Keyword research is essential for search engine optimization. It allows you to know what Internet users are looking for and what keywords your competitors are ranked for. So, it is important to know what is keyword research for SEO and carry it out effectively. First, you need to understand the different types of keywords for SEO:

  • Synonyms. Keywords with the same meaning but composed differently, attracting similar search results.

  • Long train. Longer, particular phrases that answer a specific search query. They usually consist of three or more keywords, such as “Red stiletto shoe.”

  • Semantically related. These keywords are related to each other by a theme. For example, “visit Los Angeles” is semantically related to “plane tickets to LA” and “best destinations in LA.”

Once you have chosen your keywords, you will have to classify them by several criteria: search volume as well as the difficulty of ranking on your keywords.

  • Search volume is defined by the number of searches performed with these keywords over a given period of time (usually 1 month). These results are measured using national data

  • Keyword difficulty is an important parameter to take into account. Indeed if you decide to choose a very competitive keyword like “sports shoe” you risk taking a lot of time to be well referenced because your competitors have already had time to advertise but also to do their SEO on this key word.


A high search volume keyword attracts more organic search traffic, but it is also more competitive. Targeting high search volume keywords means competing with high-quality sites that have greater authority.

On the other hand, long-tail keywords have less competition and allow you to create content that is highly relevant to your audience. Start by improving your website traffic with long-range keywords and build your keyword SEO strategy from there…


Keywords in the title and image tags


The title tag is essential for your website. It gives searchers an overview of the content and helps them understand why it is relevant to their searches. Users want to find web pages that feature keywords relevant to their queries. This is why Google encourages you to create quality titles and snippets for search results. When you optimize a title tag with a target keyword, it gives the search engine more opportunities to discover your website and rank it higher.



search results for the term ski coat

The goal is to place your main keyword at the beginning of the title. This not only grabs users' attention, but also helps search engines determine what the page is about. However, make sure the placement of keywords is natural and avoid stuffing unnecessary words. Besides optimizing your title tags, it's also important to craft your meta descriptions. This allows you to think about the content topic and entice users to click through to the page.

Also don’t forget to put your keywords in your images! The “alt” tag is an excellent way for your Internet users who do not see clearly to be able to give a more detailed caption for your images. The tag also allows the robot to better understand what your page is about and thus better reference it.


Backlinks

Authorized backlinks refer to links from reputable websites. Google's algorithm considers backlinks as votes of confidence on your site and takes into account the domain authority of the source to validate them. An adequate amount of allowed backlinks will bring more benefits than an excessive number of links from spam sites. High-quality backlinks contribute to your search engine rankings, while low-quality backlinks can harm your site's credibility. Here are some SEO tips for creating quality backlinks to your site:

  • Writing quality content. It is essential to provide comprehensive and informative content on your site. This allows other sites to judge your authority and determine whether your page is worth linking to.

  • Guest blogs. This is the practice of writing a blog post for another website. In return, they allow you to add backlinks in the article or in the author's “bio” section. Additionally, you benefit from brand recognition and exposure to a wider audience, which drives more organic traffic to your site.

  • Analysis of your competitors' backlinks. Keeping an eye on the competition allows you to identify websites that are likely to link to your site. Tools like Monitor Backlinks and Ahrefs Link Intersect will allow you to monitor backlink opportunities. Once you have made a list of sites that link to your competitor, contact the site owners and present your pitch.

  • Creating broken links. This technique involves finding HTML 404 errors on a website and notifying the site owner. It allows you to suggest your website as a resource to replace the broken link. You can use Ahrefs Broken Link Checker to spot and identify broken links across the web.


Image showing the different possible link anchors on a website


Conclusion


Working on search engine optimization involves many factors and practices. SEO strategies are constantly evolving to adapt to dynamic search engine algorithms. A site with well-implemented SEO has an excellent chance of appearing in the top search results and getting an increase in traffic. To make sure you're implementing SEO best practices, let's recap the four main types of SEO we talked about previously:

  • On-page SEO – it focuses on elements related to the content of your web pages, including the image-alt, title tag and meta description.

  • Off-page SEO – this involves activities outside of your website, such as link building, outreach marketing and article publishing.

  • Technical SEO – this includes the technical aspects of SEO to optimize the speed, compatibility, security and usability of your website.

  • Local SEO – SEO strategies to improve your website’s visibility in local searches and get more local traffic.

With this in mind, we hope you have a clearer picture of how to improve your website optimization efforts.

Remember that SEO is an ongoing process. To achieve visible long-term benefits, you need to constantly adjust your SEO strategy and adopt the latest SEO factors and practices.


Need advice or support to develop your business?


SMEs or large groups, whether you operate in the banking, insurance, retail, start-up, health sectors, etc.

The AppAso agency located in Paris, Opéra supports you in your ASO and SEO strategies.

Specializing in the promotion and referencing of mobile sites and applications, the AppASO agency also offers training adapted to the needs of your company or your Grande École program.

Companies such as Malakoff Humanis, Watts Industries and Edhec trust us, so join us!


😊 Let’s get in touch! 😊



Contact details :

ASO App 7 rue Meyerbeer 75009 Paris Opéra

Email: contact@appaso.fr



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